Lee also took a moment to mark the passing of Muhammad Ali on social media, posting an undated and uncredited photo of Prince and Ali together. It depicts the boxer dwarfing the musician and playfully patting his head.

Lee served as a contributor for the 1996 Ali documentary “When We Were Kings.”

Watch the kick-off to today’s festivities below.

Spike Lee and the Apollo Throw Prince Parties in NYC

After the sun went down in New York City, Prince fans all over town took to the streets to celebrate the life and career of the legendary rock star. In Brooklyn,Â Spike LeeÂ threwÂ a block party to celebrate Prince, who recordedÂ the soundtrack for Lee's 1996 film "Girl 6."
All of Prince's greatest hits were played for the roughly 1,000 fans in attendance, withÂ Lee eulogizing the singer from the stoop of his 40 Acres film studio headquarters.
"There's a big party in heaven tonight," he proclaimed.
Meanwhile, in Harlem, the famous Apollo Theater changed its marquee in honor of Prince. Hundreds of fans paid their respects at the venue where the musician performed several times throughout his career, while a PA system blasted his songs for everyone on 125th street to hear.
??'???'???'? | ??"?: @brianmdunn_
A photo posted by MTV (@mtv) on Apr 21, 2016 at 8:19pm PDT
Prince was found dead on Thursday at his Paisley Park compound in Minnesota. Local medical examiners will perform an autopsy on Friday. Prince reportedly had received treatment for a drug overdose earlier in the week.

To ring in the year 2000, Prince pulled out all the stops with a special New Year's Eve concert that featured a duet performance of "American Woman" with Lenny Kravitz.

If you want to see what Prince sounded like in his pre-Revolution days, you can check out this complete concert filmed at the Capitol Theatre in New Jersey in 1982.

Prince's career has been filled with mindblowing performances, but his Super Bowl XLI halftime show in 2007 defines his career. On a stage lit purple and during a torrential Miami downpour, Prince gave his greatest performance of "Purple Rain" ... ever. Even diehard NFL fans remember this more than the beat down the Indianapolis Colts delivered the Chicago Bears.

Prince debuted a new backup band, 3rdeyegirl, in 2014, and they proved they were just as good as the Revolution and the Time when they performed "She's Always In My Hair" on "The Arsenio Hall Show."

1 of 5

From a rain-drenched Super Bowl to duets with other iconic guitarists, Prince put out one great show after another during his historic career

Hundreds of fans took to the streets of Brooklyn and Harlem to honor the legendary musician

After the sun went down in New York City, Prince fans all over town took to the streets to celebrate the life and career of the legendary rock star. In Brooklyn,Â Spike LeeÂ threwÂ a block party to celebrate Prince, who recordedÂ the soundtrack for Lee's 1996 film "Girl 6."
All of Prince's greatest hits were played for the roughly 1,000 fans in attendance, withÂ Lee eulogizing the singer from the stoop of his 40 Acres film studio headquarters.
"There's a big party in heaven tonight," he proclaimed.
Meanwhile, in Harlem, the famous Apollo Theater changed its marquee in honor of Prince. Hundreds of fans paid their respects at the venue where the musician performed several times throughout his career, while a PA system blasted his songs for everyone on 125th street to hear.
??'???'???'? | ??"?: @brianmdunn_
A photo posted by MTV (@mtv) on Apr 21, 2016 at 8:19pm PDT
Prince was found dead on Thursday at his Paisley Park compound in Minnesota. Local medical examiners will perform an autopsy on Friday. Prince reportedly had received treatment for a drug overdose earlier in the week.

To ring in the year 2000, Prince pulled out all the stops with a special New Year's Eve concert that featured a duet performance of "American Woman" with Lenny Kravitz.

If you want to see what Prince sounded like in his pre-Revolution days, you can check out this complete concert filmed at the Capitol Theatre in New Jersey in 1982.

Prince's career has been filled with mindblowing performances, but his Super Bowl XLI halftime show in 2007 defines his career. On a stage lit purple and during a torrential Miami downpour, Prince gave his greatest performance of "Purple Rain" ... ever. Even diehard NFL fans remember this more than the beat down the Indianapolis Colts delivered the Chicago Bears.

Prince debuted a new backup band, 3rdeyegirl, in 2014, and they proved they were just as good as the Revolution and the Time when they performed "She's Always In My Hair" on "The Arsenio Hall Show."

1 of 5

From a rain-drenched Super Bowl to duets with other iconic guitarists, Prince put out one great show after another during his historic career